Volleyball Honored with AVCA Team Academic Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Mitchell College women's volleyball team earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the second consecutive year, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
The Mariners were one of more than 1,400 collegiate and high school volleyball programs honored with the award, which recognizes programs that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining a year-long cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 during the 2023-24 year.
"The American Volleyball Coaches Team Academic Award is a reliable barometer of how a team approaches its academics, along with dealing with the pressures and demands of playing a collegiate sport," said head coach Tim Gaiser. "I couldn't be any prouder of each and every player for their work ethic, diligence, attention to detail, and time management during the 2023-22024 academic year! All our players took their academics very seriously, all-year long, from day-one and kept me posted on any issues, and consistently reached out to teammates who were struggling to get them back on track which was very rare. This is a great group of student-athletes, and I couldn't have asked for better people to coach!"
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year and is sponsored by INTENT, was first captured by Mitchell in 2022-23. The Mariners held a team GPA of 3.60 during their inaugural season in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), and were one of four GNAC institutions to receive the recognition.
"We are pleased that the record-setting success of the 2023-24 season on the court has extended to the classroom, too, as evidenced by more programs earning the Team Academic Award than ever before," says AVCA CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon. "This is a great example of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their full potential as both students and athletes."
About the American Volleyball Coaches Association
The association's mission is to advance the sport of volleyball with AVCA coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development. The membership includes more than 9,500 collegiate, professional, high school, club, and youth volleyball coaches—primarily in the United States. The AVCA represents women's volleyball, men's volleyball, and beach volleyball coaches, and works to increase exposure and recognition for the sport of volleyball.
